So we all know that the music industry is not in such hot shape these days, and most musicians need to try and find ways to pay their bills that don’t involve making music. That’s why so many of the metal “stars” we all know and love also teach instrument lessons on the side, or produce or mix stuff for other bands, or tend bar, or work at the mall, or whatever. The economy is pretty shitty right now even if you’re not trying to make a living making racket about death and destruction, y’know?

And so while I am sympathetic to Chris Barnes’ plight, and I absolutely recognize his place in metal history, dear sweet Cannibal Corpse do I wish this was not real.

I mean, I guess it beats the shit out of having to do actual work to make a few extra bucks, but holy shit, I wonder if Barnes realizes that he is never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, going to live this down. Never ever ever.

Sigh.

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot — more commonly known as “Flattus Maximum” — passed away a week ago today, and we’re still reeling from the loss. Now the band has announced a public memorial service, so that fans can congregate, mourn, and celebrate Smoot’s life as a community.

Here are the details:

Friday, November 11
4 pm
Bennett Funeral Home Chesterfield Chapel
14301 Ashbrook Parkway
Chesterfield, VA

As a result of the services, GWAR has been forced to cancel their next two shows: tonight’s concert in Medford, OR and tomorrow’s gig in San Francisco, CA. The band will resume their current tour with Every Time I Die, Warbeast, and Ghoul this coming Saturday, November 12. Remaining tour dates can be found here.

“The ’90s were a challenging decade for metal,” opens Loudwire writer Joe Robinson. You got that right! ’90s nostalgia hasn’t firmly set in for metal yet; Limp Bizkit’s new record tanked, less people are interested in Korn than ever, and some of the more credible ’90s acts from Europe never even stopped to take a drink of water. But that hasn’t stopped Loudwire from publishing a “Top 11 Metal Albums of the ’90s” list. For once, I think this topic is quite ripe for list-making given metal’s widespread unpopularity during the decade. Sure, decades themselves are artificial constructs with which musical trends don’t neatly align (hair metal was still huge in ’90 and ’91 and the true stuff was already filtering back in by the end), but they do provide convenient language for discourse, much like metal sub-genres aren’t always perfect but give us some kind of approximation of what a band sounds like.

Loudwire’s list is actually pretty solid; it’s hard to argue that any of these albums shouldn’t be included on a best-of-the-’90s metal list, and I love the inclusion of Alice in Chains and Tool. I could do without Korn’s debut, but I know it was important to a lot of people and it certainly left its mark on the metal landscape. I have a hard time believing Anthrax’s Persistence of Time would’ve appeared on this list had the band not just released a new album. The list completely omits European bands, and I think In Flames’ The Jester Race, Whoracle or Colony — any one of ‘em — deserve a nod for all the impact they had on metal to come. For that matter, how about At the Gates? Or Refused’s Shape of Punk to Come? And what ’90s metal list is complete without Nevermore or Iced Earth, two bands that essentially flied in the face of “cool” and held up giant middle fingers?

But whatevs… it’s a list, and therefore cannot be perfect. Go check it out here, then come back here with your arguin’ pants on and tell us what you think the comments.

-VN

Thanks: Andrew Robbins

Yesterday we all got in a tizzy because Faith No More recently played a song live that none of us have ever heard before, and suddenly we were all like OMG IS THAT A NEW FNM TRACK?!?! Now vocalist/demigod Mike Patton has revealed that the track isn’t new, really… it’s just never been played before.

In an interview with Movieweb.com, Patton was asked if the band would be playing any b-sides from King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime when they perform that album in its entirety in Chile later this week, to which the singer/madman responded, “We are doing a tune we’ve never done from that era. I guess that would be a B Side. I don’t know if we released that at all… I don’t know (laughs)!” Then, when asked about the possibility of a new FNM album, Patton went on:

Click to read more…

To me, dudes who write about music are heroes. And we metal listeners benefit from the largest number of heroically passionate and sharp writers, bloggists, journalers, and otherwise enthusiastics. My bad if that sounds self-serving or lame. But I think it’s harder to get good advice about non-metal; and it must be hard to cover product that’s supported by so much money and energy. So my hats off to bands who do good covers, helpful covers that kinda gateway metal fans to non-metal greats. And I vote we belatedly doff ‘em to Lacuna Coil for their 2000 cover of “Stars” (above), the most popular but nowhere near most awesome jam by Dubstar. Now, I say we only go as far as hat-doffing because the new version first appeared on an EP (cough filler) and the original was biggish in Europe fives years earlier (motive). But hey awesome Cristina Scabbia (this track’s sole vocalist wink wink) does a great job, so high fives!

-ADF

Lacuna Coil’s forthcoming sixth album, Dark Adrenaline, is slated for release on January 24. November UK dates here. Bonerz.

Yep, that’s what this video portrays. You’re either curious to see it or you’re not. There is nothing else I can really say to tempt you. It’s not like it turns out the bear is Keyser Söze or anything. So watch this. Or don’t. I really don’t care.

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

Last month, the University of Melbourne sent out a press release regarding a study recently completed by Dr. Katrina McFerran. Entitled “Heavy metal music has negative impacts on youth,” the press release claimed that Dr. McFerran’s research demonstrated that “Young people at risk of depression are more likely to listen habitually and repetitively to heavy metal music.” The Austerity Program’s Justin Foley took issue with this study and the subsequent press release in an editorial we published yesterday; however, since we like to represent as many different view points as possible here on MetalSucks, we also offer Dr. McFerran the chance to respond. Read her thoughts on the matter below.

The media needs controversy to be able to get anyone’s attention.  Although I don’t feel as maddened by this as Justin does, I do think it is a bizarre premise for what used to be called “the news” — but things change.  And one thing I have learned from my recent media experience is that I will not mistake “media” for “facts” again.  In fact, what I have learned is that modern-day media provides a space where it is possible to offer a commentary on facts, without feeling obliged to be completely accurate in that process.  I learned this after reading the first report of my research in a large local newspaper following an interview with the reporter.  I had enjoyed the interview, and thought that I had clarified my position (published at Metal Insider). Yet the headline for his story was “Metal causes depression.” And, just to be brief, I think that is a ridiculous, unfounded statement – there is a significant correlation between metal and depression, as shown in many studies, but it is not causative.  Music does not cause problems, but people with problems often turn to music for a range of reasons. But to finish responding to Justin, my understanding is that the commentary provided by any media forum is purposefully biased to convey their beliefs, and big media giants have a commitment to making money as well as providing a commentary, so they produce stuff that gets people’s attention.  That’s a bit different to sites such as this, which Justin described to me as “a somewhat satirical, somewhat serious blog about heavy metal music.” So it offers a different kind of commentary. But those big media folk certainly know how to get people’s attention.

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Last week, I saw some kid outside of a Chimaira show compliment keyboardist Sean Z. on his vocal performance. “I had no idea you could scream like that!” the lil’ dude proclaimed. Presumably, the young fan was somehow unaware that Z. is also the vocalist for Dååth, meaning that, yes, he is a helluva front man who can scream his guts out with the best of ‘em.

I have no idea if incidents like that one were the inspiration for what Sean Z. has done now or not, but it’s easy to imagine the epicly bearded musician going “Hey, I’m getting all this new attention because of Chimaira, might as well put it to extra-good use!”

And so, whatever his motivation may be, Sean Z. has posted on his Facebook page links to download — for free, natch — not only the two Dååth albums on which he appears, but also b-sides and demos from those albums.

Click to read more…

Who wants to see some awesome photos of The Devin Townsend Project performing at Slim’s in San Francisco last month?

[loud cheers]

I SAID WHO WANTS TO SEE SOME AWESOME PHOTOS OF THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT PERFORMING AT SLIM’S IN SAN FRANCISCO LAST MONTH?!?!

[DEAFENING cheers]

Well, good, ’cause that’s what we have for you, courtesy of MetalSucks photographic master Miikka Skaffari! Miikka captured Heavy Devy making plenty of more awesome, silly, and awesomely silly faces like the one above. So check ‘em out after the jump! And don’t forget that Townsend’s sweet new box set, Contain Us (say it out loud), comes out November 29 via InsideOut Music; it’s super limited edition, so go pre-order yours now or risk the heartbreak never ever owning one. Also, remember that Devy is on tour in Europe right now, before he begins another North American headlining trek in December; get all of his upcoming tour dates here.

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…the results sound a lot like one of those really poorly-produced black metal albums. Hm. Interesting. Slayer’s influence is even further-reaching than we suspected!!!

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

[The seven-inch record is a cornerstone for hardcore and the format continues to serves as an essential platform for disseminating music. Characteristically shorter song lengths make it possible for a band in this scene to make a statement over the course of multiple tracks and provide it in a way that is affordable. The purpose of this column is to identify and offer short critiques of some new and recent releases in the 7" format.]

Split 7″ releases always carry a risk of one band’s side kicking the ever-lovin’ crap out of the other band’s side. Neither Ringworm nor Mindsnare deign to upstage one another on Your Soul Belongs To Us (A389). Cleveland’s finest dig up two previously unreleased cuts, including the paradigmatic “Leviathon”. Nothing earth-shattering, but ultimately this is just what we want from Ringworm. On the flip, the Australians add doomy flair to an otherwise pounding duo of tunes. Collectors: note the cool EC Comics style insert.

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At this past weekend’s FunFunFunFest in Austin, Texas, a heavy metal behemoth slayed all comers as far as garnering the positive headlines. No, I’m not talking about thrash legends Slayer, who closed out the fest with a brilliant set (review forthcoming) that made their Big 4 NY appearance look tame by comparison. I’m definitely not talking about The Artist Formerly Known As Mr. Kitty Litter AKA The Artist Now Known For French Onion Soup and A Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich AKA Mr. Glenn Danzig (see recap of his divantics™ here). Nope, I’m talking about Mr. Hollywood Hunk his own bad self, Mr. Ryan Gosling.

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Something cool happened a couple weeks ago when I was shown into the Steel Panther dressing room for an interview (here). I was greeted warmly by the band, and while we readied/deactivated our devices and aligned our seating, my ear identified a classic BulletBoys deep cut (above) emitting from the vicinity of lead singer Michael Starr. I kinda automatically started to sing along — I know the jam like I know my ballz — and in a blink, a surprised Starr had engaged me in fan talk about BulletBoys, which led to assorted gab about their producer Ted Templeman (Van Halen), the iTunes unavailability of 66% of their major label releases, and their mercurial frontman Marq Torien. Fun!

And so, the interview got off to a bright start. Of course, by the end of our epic talk (read it), I’d dashed that baseline respect with dense observations, fumbled follow-ups, and a stoner’s slow listening comprehension. But the sadder thing is that Starr and I won’t be splitting an 8-ball at the just-announced and totally awesome and very unexpected BulletBoys reunion show on December 30 in West Hollywood. This is huge! For just about the first time since … well, at least since the internet, the BulletBoys won’t be Torien’s solo show, but the original band — most radly, hotrod guitarist Mick Sweda (King Kobra) and big ballz drummer Jimmy D’Anda. But Starr and Steel Panther play Vegas that night, so I’ll have to pour his half of our BulletBoys blow into Sweda’s vitamin water. See you there!

-ADF

Get yourself the three classic BulletBoys albums here and here and here. View Steel Panther dates here. 

A word to would-be U&U submitters: fer chrissakes, I am not “Liking” your band on Facebook just to listen to it. Any band guilty of not checking to make sure the songs on their Facebook music page are available for public listening will be summarily ignored.

Now that that’s out of the way… we’ve got another really good batch of unsigned bands this week with Solace, Mordenom and Water on Mercury. Check ‘em out after the jump.

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Vildhjarta are Swedish, so I thought that maybe the title of their newly released song, “Phobon Nika,” meant something in their native langue, and it does — it means “Phobon Nika.” Then I did a Google search for “Phobon Nika,” and all that came up was Vildhjarta. My point being that it is apparently “make up words week” here in the world of metal. No one gave me advance notice, but whatever, I’m into it! And so, to that end, the rest of this post will be written in nonsense:

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That sound you hear is the echo of corks popping off the champagne bottles at Dave Mustaine’s house; for the first time ever (?), a Megadeth record outsold a Metallica record in its debut week. It’s not a proper Metallica album, and what it is is a steaming pile of turds, but it’s still gotta feel like something of a victory for Mustaine. And that it comes in the form of the #1 Hard Music album in the U.S. has gotta feel absolutely great, too.

Elsewhere, Steel Panther had a great debut week while Krisiun, Sick of it All and Vallenfyre also made the Top 100 on the Current Hard Music charts.

Click to read more…

My struggle lately is to not be super-foamy about The Devil’s Blood, the Dutch occult hard rock devil clan. Their new record The Thousandfold Epicentre is coming to America January 17 via Metal Blade, with all the accompanying tours and merch and press that implies. Yep, Metal Blade has saved us hassle (imports) and agony (lack of nearby shows). Pre-order bundle, here I come.

But for now, I’ll be driving up the play count on this complete album stream. You can think of The Devil’s Blood as a Black Sabbath, a pioneer whose path was cleared by great acts like Mountain (i.e., Ghost) and Blue Cheer (Blood Ceremony). My first listen was on headphones late Saturday night, aided by lit candles and perception-enhancing drugz; I recommend the same for yours. Though that night I was interrupted mid-jam by a hilarious two-car drunk driving accident just outside my window; you can skip that part.

-ADF

The Devil’s Blood releases The Thousandfold Epicentre on January 17. Pre-order here. Disclaimer: Neither MetalSucks nor its parent company endorses the use of drugz or candles.

The PRP reports that “Faith No More fans are abuzz about a mystery song the band played during their set in Buenos Aires, Argentina last night (November 08th),” and, indeed, I have no frickin’ clue what the song is. Is it a cover song? If so, it’s something super-obscure; I did a Google search on some of the lyrics I was able to understand (usually a pretty good way to identify a song) and came up empty. Could it possibly be a new Faith No More song?!?

I am right on the verge of crapping my pants. I hope we get some answers soon. In the meantime, check out the clip of the new song below…

-AR

“I’m listening to _________. What should I drink?”

A simple concept with hilarious results, Drinkify is the solution to all of your music-listening beverage needs. It’s amazingly accurate, too. For example:

• The Revocation: “4 oz. Rum, Fucking Rum, 4 oz. Red Bull, 8 oz. Red Bull. Combine in highball glass and serve. Stir vigorously.”
• The Slayer: “8 oz. Blood, 8 oz. Wheatgrass juice. Combine in shaker and strain into cocktail glass. Serve. Stir vigorously.”
• The Metallica: “4 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. Serve neat. Garnish with maraschino cherry.”
• The Morbid Angel: “8 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, 8 oz. Coco López, 1 oz. Tequila Oro. Combine in shaker and strain into cocktail glass. Serve. Stir quickly. Garnish with straw.”

Try it out for yourself at your next party. Blood sold separately.

-VN

Thanks: metalgf

A week ago, just a few days before they closed the The Metal Suckfest and a mere twenty-fours before their first proper performance with their new line-up, Cynic performed an extremely rare, extremely intimate acoustic set at one of our favorite NYC haunts, Idle Hands. I have no idea what the final head count in the bar was, but I know that the vast majority of the world’s Cynic devotees did not get to experience this truly special event.

Luckily, our friends from Metal Injection were there, and they caught it on video! You can check out the performance of “Veil of Maya” and “Evolutionary Sleeper” below; if you head over to Metal Injection, you can also check out a new interview with Cynic’s Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert, which was conducted outside of a synagogue. Just a fun fact for ya!

Cynic’s new EP, Carbon-Based Anatomy, comes out on November 15 via Season of Mist; if you don’t buy it, you’re a loser. Just sayin’.

-AR